Kumar Sanu's father Pashupati Bhattacharjee was an accomplished classical vocalist and composer. He trained Sanu as a singer and tabla player. After getting a degree in commerce from Calcutta University, Sanu began performing publicly in 1979, singing at shows and restaurants around Calcutta.

He modeled his singing style after famous Bollywood singer Kishore Kumar. Sanu tried to make a career in Bollywood, but did not achieve success for a long time. He made his living in the early 1980s partly by recording a series of Kishore Kumar covers for a pop label. His son, Jaan Sanu has also made inroads into singing by going into a semi final of a singing contest held in India.

Dear first-grade journal,

Hooray, hooray! TheatreworksUSA is making a brand-new musical (that is a play all jumbled together with singing and dancing, I believe). And what do you know! It's all about me, Junie B. Jones! (The B stands for Beatrice, only I do not like Beatrice. I just like B and that's all.)

This is the bestest musical ever, I tell you! It's got loads of funny songs, and it's based on a bunch of books this lady, Barbara Park, wrote about me and the things I do in first grade.

Junie B., First Grader (at Last!) In first grade, I meet new friends (like Herb and José, but not that tattle-tale May). But my new teacher, Mr. Scary, thinks I might need glasses!

Junie B., Boss of Lunch I get to help my friend, the cafeteria lady! And I get to wear a real actual hair net too! Who knows.... Maybe someday I'll be the boss of the whole lunch operation!

Junie B., One-Man Band The whole entire first grade is having a kickball tournament! Only, when I practice my kicking, I stub my piggy toe so badly I can't play. But my friend Sheldon can't play either, so maybe we can do a half-time show instead!

Whew! I'm glad I can write everything down in my Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal! And you know what? I think I might like first grade after all!

Love, (but not the mushy kind)
Junie B.

Performing on a wide variety of traditional instruments and dressed in native outfits, Yarina weaves together an imaginative tapestry of South American musical styles, and their repertoire extends to include jazz, blues, Latin and western classical masterpieces. Yarina sings in three languages, including their native Kichwa, Spanish and ENglish. The world-class musicians and dancers in Yarina perform to standing room only crowds throughout Europe and the Americas, and were named Ambassadors for Indigenous Ecuadorian Performers." by the Department of Culture in Quito, Ecuador. Most recently, Yarina won a NAMMY (Native American Music Award) for "Best World Music."

Yarina is dedicated not only to musical excellence, but also to the preservation and sharing of the beauty, courage and survival of the ancestral traditions and culture of the indigenous peoples of Ecuador.

This hauntingly beautiful and immensely appealing program combines music, stories and dance to transport audiences of all ages to the Andes.

"Oh, the thinks you can think" when Dr. Seuss's best-loved stories collide and cavort in an unforgettable musical caper! Adapted from the Broadway version, this adaptation especially for young audiences features thirteen actors and enhanced production values. Seussical is TheatreworksUSA' biggest show ever!

The Cat in the Hat is the host and emcee (and all-around mischief-maker) in this romp through the Seuss classics. When the sweet, good-natured elephant Horton hears a small cry for help coming from a small speck of dust, he promises to rescue and guard it because "a person's a person, no matter how small."

On that small speck of dust lives JoJo, an imaginative young Who. JoJo has astounding "thinks," in which anything's possible, but his parents believe this creativity is inappropriate for the son of the Mayor of Who-Ville.

Meanwhile, the one-feathered bird, Miss Gertrude McFuzz, desperately wants Horton to notice her. Maybe, she thinks, she just needs a more impressive tail. At the same time, the amazingly lazy Maysie La Bird connives, cajoles and convinces Horton to sit on her egg while she goes off on a spree.

Will the planet of Who survive? Will Horton pay attention to Gertrude? Will Maysie ever return for her egg? Dr. Seuss's beloved classic characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure, in which the power of imagination and the most miraculous "think" ever save the day!

GMCW’s 2008 Pride Concert opens Pride Week and celebrates American popular music genres. GMCW visits Nashville for country music, New Orleans for jazz, Detroit for soul, Southern California for pop rock and Manhattan for Broadway. And it’s all done in the midst of the 2008 Miss Fabulous America Pageant.

The Chorus and Miss Route 66, last year’s pageant winner, take a musical road trip across the United States. A Red-State/Blue-State patriotic medley, resplendent with flags and batons, honors the election year. And finally, five contestants represent their cities — with the winner being chosen by the audience. Hang on to your tiaras, ’cause the competition is gonna be fierce this year!

Known as the "Golden Voice of Mali", Salif Keita is an internationally recognized afro-pop singer-songwriter who successfully blends traditional West African music styles with Arabic, French and Spanish traditions.

His meaningful influence reaches western pop and rock including Pink Floyd and many others. The instrumentation that accompanies his singing combines the guitar, organ, and saxophone with traditional African instruments such as the kora, balafon, and djembe.

Audio: Salif Keita - Tomorrow

Gilberto Gil has developed one of the most relevant and renown careers as a singer, composer and guitar-player in both world and pop music. In a career that has spanned four decades, with over 30 albums released, Gil has six gold records, four platinum singles and five million records sold.

Video: Gilberto Gil - Drão

The Tropicalist genre he introduced, alongside Caetano Veloso, has secured his fame internationally as well as at home in Brazil. His political and environmental activism gained prominence alongside his musical career and reached a new height in 2002 when he was appointed Minister of Culture for Brazil.

On the Web: http://www.gilbertogil.com.br

As a musician and as a diplomat, Gil possesses a key role in the constant modernization of Brazilian popular music and culture throughout the world.